UPMC Children's Hospital has a heartwarming superhero tradition for kids who are patients
Some local window washers spent part of Friday morning over at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
These aren't just any window washers though, they're superheroes, who have made this a tradition over there.
They're the moments young patients and parents wanted to see.
"His nurse comes running over, goes it's time to go watch the superheroes," parent Sara Whetzel said. "We came running out."
The superheroes have seen Whetzel and her son over multiple visits.
"We have never timed it right," she said.
But on Friday they were just in time.
"This year is the first time we ever did and it was wonderful," Whetzel said.
Four window washers, dressed as Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and Captain America made the descent down the side of UPMC Children's Hospital Friday.
"We started I believe just doing it once a year for Halloween, and now we're doing it twice a year," Edward Hetrick of Allegheny Window Cleaning said.
The people from Allegheny Window Cleaning have been doing this for about 13 years now.
"I love it when the kids run to the window and want to give us a high five or thumbs up," Hetrick said. "That makes you feel good as a person just to do that and I really enjoy that."
All these kids and parents are here for a reason.
"He has an appointment today with orthopedics," Whetzel said.
"He has to see an eye specialist to see if he has fluid on the brain," parent Brittany Williams said.
But for even just a few minutes, none of their worries matter.
"Think he loved hearing the noise of their feet hitting the windows, he was very entertained," Whetzel said.
And that's what parents like Whetzel love to see.
"This can be a very depressing place even though it's bright and colorful, it can be a very depressing place as a parent," Whetzel said. "It uplifts the kids, but it uplifts the parents too."
The superheroes were wearing donate life signs on their capes Friday.
That's because April is Donate Life Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation.
